Beach House has always had a special talent in staying fresh and innovative while still sounding incredibly like themselves. This single, Lemon Glow, released on Valentine’s Day, feels like an abstract love song that should be playing loudly in a dimly-lit city apartment. As if it were “glowing,” this track engulfs you in a warm blanket of sound from the get go. It’s thick and heavy, with layers upon layers (including Victoria Legrand’s vocals), seeming to be the theme of the newly released album in its entirety. All in all, I have stopped expecting anything from Beach House, because they seem to blow my expectations away every time.

Rating: 10/10

Beach House never seems to disappoint me in creating music to which I can listen to to blissfully drift into REM sleep. Unfortunately, With “Lemon Glow”, I feel that it was their truest effort towards creating a somewhat faster tempo-ed single and tried to turn their dream pop personality into a more psychedelic pop themed single. This was only really evident with the aid of their obvious “trippy” music video. I enjoyed the moderate tempo and steady beat; it still came through with subtle intensity which was nice. Maybe it was the reverse ASMR effect for me at the end of the song that skewed my interest. Giving it a couple more listens might change my view.

Rating: 5/10

Darkly whimsical. Perfect song for pensive meadow-frolicking after a rainy day!

Rating: 9.5/10

The year is 2018 Beach House now has a drum machine. “Lemon Glow” treads somewhere between pop and electronic, a catchy & breezy song from another good album of theirs (clocking in at about 148 BPM). The band is known for their consistent sound, and this track shows they have perfected their airy brand of sonic softness. I wish they would have experimented more with their 7th studio album- I think more abrasive instrumentation would be an innovative contrast.

Thawing Dawn is the debut solo record of Parquet Courts member Andrew Savage. The album sounds vaguely between his hometown of Denton, Texas and current home in Brooklyn, New York, going between traditional folk instrumentation in “Phantom Limbo” to the fractured, metropolitan, structure of the albums closing track “Thawing Dawn”. Imagine Lucinda Williams meets The Fall. Thawing Dawn is a compilation of songs Andrew Savage has written over the past 10 years studio recorded with a band and released.

“Buffalo Calf Road” covers the violent American expansion into the Midwest, and the defeat of General Custer by Buffalo Calf Road Woman. “Wild, Wild, Wild, Horses” is a sincere, seven minutes of quiet lyrics about a former lover, set to distorted guitars and keys with reverb. “Ladies From Houston” was written after Savage went to a friend’s late father’s house, and his words offering glimpses of discrete memories, like a old stack of photographs. Thawing Dawn feels more incidentally arranged than other releases from Parquet Courts, and lacks the crispness of albums like Light Up Gold, while maintaining the appeal of Andrew Savage’s often obtuse but usually resonant lyrics. In the last stanza of the final song, Savage offers some commentary on the album itself, singing “Of all the pieces I’ve combined/ Still the cruelest mixture yet/ Is the softness of a thawing dawn/ And the hardness of regret”.

Thawing Dawn is an introspective album with enough experimentation and poetics to be absorbing while periodically using cliches of social alienation in a big city and his tiredness of New York City. Thawing Dawn affirms Andrew Savage’s ability as a musician, not only in shouting at sweaty crowds as Parquet Courts, but whispering into your ear during a long walk home.

https://asavage.bandcamp.com/album/thawing-dawn

Parquet Courts have a new album, Wide Awake!, out May 18th on Rough Trade Records.

Yinka Bernie is as genuine as they come. “Talk in the dm?” I tweeted at him, at 1:30am on a Monday morning. What followed was a heart to heart on his new album “19 & Over”.

The Nigerian native’s debut album opens up to us on what it means to be artist who is 19 & over, in your final year and choosing between the safe option and what truly makes you feel alive.

The track ’Aura Stir’ lets on more than it seems to. The “vibes” on the track do a masterful job of masking the raw emotions that go into creating this piece of art. They transform the track into sweet sound waves that echo tales of a sunny summer, in your eardrums.

The rightly titled track “Don’t Rush”, shows that there is a lot of promise for Yinka Bernie’s music career, with its groovy baseline and rhythmic invitation to the dance floor.

19 & Over is this Author’s top pick for the month, and is 10/10 worth the listen.

]]>Concert Review: Asgeir at the Fine Line Music Cafehttps://www.kstoradio.org/2018/02/28/concert-review-asgeir-at-the-fine-line-music-cafe/
Thu, 01 Mar 2018 01:57:02 +0000https://www.kstoradio.org/?p=1785Asgeir at the Fine Line Music Cafe

While most of the Minneapolis population sweltered under summer’s last heat wave, on September 21st 2017, Fine Line Music Cafe offered concert goers a brief oasis with the cool, electronic sounds of Asgeir Einarsson. Inside the intimate venue, fans and newcomers alike gathered, curious to see one of Iceland’s great artists come to life on stage. Packed in amongst the crowd, I too was eager to finally hear Asgeir perform live.

I first heard Asgeir’s music this past summer while traveling around Iceland alongside fellow St. Olaf students and professors. During our long bus rides circumnavigating the country, we filled the quiet roads with songs of Asgeir’s first album, “Dýrð í Dauðaþögn.” With a combination of gentle acoustic riffs, achingly melodic choruses, poetic lyrics and elegant vocals, Asgeir’s songs created a humble backdrop to our journey. Even now listening to his music transports me back to my seat by the window, eyes taking in the rolling hills, roaming sheep, waterfalls and gray skies while Asgeir’s graceful music lulled me in and out of sleep and fascination with the beautiful country.

At only 25 years old, Asgeir has already begun to make his name through his unique style of electronic folk. After the 2012 release of his first album, “Dýrð í Dauðaþögn”, later released in English as “In the Silence” in 2013, Asgeir gained fame and success overnight. In his latest album, “Afterglow,” released May 2017, Asgeir explores a more atmospheric and deliberately electronic side to his music.

Now over halfway through his North American tour, Asgeir’s show at Fine Line Music Cafe gave Minnesota a small taste of his musical prowess. Though he performed to a fairly intimate venue, Asgeir was careful to keep an air of mystery and almost palpable distance from the crowd. Emerging on stage from a cloud of smoke, Asgeir set the tone for the rest of his set. Throughout his hourlong performance, Asgeir carefully interwove fan favorites from his first album such as “King and Cross,” “Higher” or “In the Silence,” alongside his newer tracks “Afterglow” and “Unbound.”

Overall, I was impressed by the poise and polish of his entire set. Each song faded seamlessly into the next, filling the venue with an endless atmosphere of hazy, electronic indie vibes. At the same time, however, the continuous flow allowed little time to breathe between songs. Every so often, Asgeir murmured a quiet “thank you” to the crowd then quickly returned his focus to his performance. Despite my disappointment at Asgeir’s lack of direct engagement with the audience, I believe his talent as a musician and compelling musical productions have the ability to engage listeners on another level.

Although Anderson Paak has been on the scene for a while, the spotlight has only recently graced his presence. After his early neo soul projects as Breezy Lovejoy, Paak released his first full length album Venice in 2014. Despite the album’s success, Paak flew under mainstream hip-hop’s radar while picking up features with scene specific artists like Jonwayne, and Busdriver. It wasn’t until Paak was featured alongside Kendrick Lamar and Dr. Dre on Dre’s newest album Compton that Paak began to achieve Mainstream attention.

With the attention of the music industry, Paak used the success he achieved from his features on Compton to slingshot his release of Malibu, a 16 track project that clocks in at just over an hour. While Paak has consistently released crowd pleasing high energy tracks, he has always trended towards neo soul, a stylistic trait he chose to highlight on Malibu. Paak’s Soul-centric sound gives Malibu a polished groove that carries the album through the heavy,sentimental, and often autobiographical lyrics, without letting the songs drag.

Malibu is everything it needed to be, however I found myself let down. Although the album is packed with funk and groove, the grit that attracted me to Paak’s voice initially has been cleaned up in Malibu. The rough edges Paak displayed on Venice and Greenlight(Jonwayne) have been sanded into a smooth album that functions more as a commercial breakthrough than a musical manifesto. Despite the lack of tongue and cheek trap bangers, Malibu remains a breakthrough for Paak and the hip-hop scene. I’d recommend Malibu to anyone who enjoys the funkier side of Kendrick, the harder side of Jamiroquai, or the rougher side of any 50s west coast soul.

]]>Album Review: Kirk Knight- Late Knight Specialhttps://www.kstoradio.org/2015/12/02/kirk-knight-late-knight-special/
Thu, 03 Dec 2015 01:37:53 +0000https://pages.stolaf.edu/ksto/?p=1205Late Knight Special is the first solo album of Pro-Era Producer Kirk Knight.After years of producing for fellow Pro-Era MC Joey Bada$$, Knight’s debut album is a welcome insight into one of hip-hop’s the up and coming producers. Late Knight Special showcased Knight’s talent as both a producer and an MC. The album spans every style of rap and hip hop, from the 90s boom bap flow and 36 chambers style beat of ‘Brokeland’,to the tight hi-hats, crisp snares, and thundering synth bassline of ‘Knight Time’. The variety of sound on the album illuminates the artistic path Knight has taken, and his musical influences become clearer throughout the album. Late Knight Special boasts an impressive lineup of features. Among the talent gracing Knight’s album is: friend Joey Bada$$, Mick Jenkins, Noname Gypsy, and LA’s own Thundercat.

I thoroughly enjoyed this album, the first song on the album ‘Start Running’ opens with a sample from iconic afro-futurist jazz composer Sun Ra, a classic hip-hop sample that instantly legitimized the album for me. The instrumentals were clean, diverse, and framed Knights vocals well. While Knights verses don’t quite match the quality of the beats on the album, they are by no means bad, and hold incredible merit as the producer’s first foray into serious rapping. I’d recommend Late Knight Special to almost any fan of hip-hop. Knight has something for everybody on this album, and while the tracks may not be perfect, Late Knight Special does not disappoint Stand out Tracks: Brokeland, I know Ft. Mick Jenkins, Five Minutes Ft. Joey Bada$$

Pete Sheehy is the Hip-Hop/RPM genre director at KSTO.

]]>Album Review: Justin Bieber – Purposehttps://www.kstoradio.org/2015/11/30/album-review-justin-bieber-purpose/
Tue, 01 Dec 2015 05:03:23 +0000https://pages.stolaf.edu/ksto/?p=1200With multiple arrest warrants under his belt and a petition boasting over 270,000 signatures calling for his deportation, it’s no wonder that Justin Bieber’s most recent studio album, Purpose, revolves around forgiveness and apologies. In just a few short years, Bieber has transformed from a pint-sized adolescent with shockingly good pipes into a moody, angst-ridden teenager with an affinity for dangerous driving and egging his neighbor’s house. However, while Bieber’s behavior has become annoyingly predictable, Purpose debuts some genuinely likeable tunes with a more mature flavor. With tropical house and hip hop influences scattered throughout, the Biebs’ fourth album is by far his most sincere effort to distance himself from his tween pop years and rebrand himself as a serious contender in the music business.

The album opens with “Mark My Words”, a blatant tribute to Selena Gomez and their weird on-again, off-again relationship. More importantly, it sets the tone for the rest of the album, which is centered on the themes of regret and redemption. After getting through the first two songs, Bieber lightens up a bit with “What Do You Mean?” and “Sorry”, two of the singles that were released prior to the album. These are by far the highlight of Purpose, showcasing Bieber’s growth since his last album with some cool house vibes. Also worth noting are “Love Yourself” for its subtle use of trumpet, “Been You” and “The Feeling” featuring Halsey. As for those of you that are nostalgic for the old Justin with his swooping hair and squeaky voice, don’t worry- there are plenty of classic Bieber ballads to bring you to tears, if only for his shameless use of awful cliches.

Whether you love or hate the Biebs, you’ve got to hand it to him- he has turned some questionable life choices into a solid collection of music that you will most likely catch yourself humming on your way to class or throwing down to over the weekend. Is Purpose just what the world needs to reignite the ever-dwindling Bieber Fever? I guess only time will tell.

Lindsey Tucker is one of the Alt/Top 200 genre directors at KSTO.

]]>Album Review: Escort – Animal Naturehttps://www.kstoradio.org/2015/11/08/album-review-escort-animal-nature/
Mon, 09 Nov 2015 00:38:43 +0000https://pages.stolaf.edu/ksto/?p=1177Following Nile Rodgers’ guitar work on Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories in 2013, elements of disco have crept back into the dance scene. Funky rhythms and jazzy minor 7 chords have been dragged from the depths of the discotheques they died in. Escort’s Animal Nature is a project that seeks to prove that elements of disco can be fused with modern drum beats and smooth up-to-date lyrics to form tracks that wouldn’t be out of place at a modern club. Escort themselves have said that they want their vibe to be relevant to today’s music scene while still sounding like that one gem of an album that you found the other day in an old crate of vinyl. Top tacks for me were Body Talk, Animal Nature, and Cabaret. I would also include If You Say So on the list simply for its driving guitar part reminiscent of Nile Rodgers on RAM.

Reviewed by Sam Brand, one of KSTO’s Alt/Top 200 genre directors.

]]>Album Review: White Boiz – Neighborhood Wonderfulhttps://www.kstoradio.org/2015/10/25/white-boiz-neighborhood-wonderful-album-review/
Mon, 26 Oct 2015 00:22:43 +0000https://pages.stolaf.edu/ksto/?p=1178In an era where hip­hop is dominated by snappy trap hi­hats, and boosted 808 kick bass, is there any room for the old school? Krondon and Shafiq Husayn seem to think so. Together, the two industry denizens make up White Boiz, a musical collaboration formed out of mutual respect, and a desire to produce meaningful message filled music. The pair’s Debut album Neighborhood Wonderful did just that. Neighborhood Wonderful is a hard hitting Boom Bap album filled with the poignant lyrical insights of Krondon, and garnished with the crisp production of Shafiq Husayn in beats reminiscent of Madlib and Dilla. the album also boasts some significant features from Bass virtuoso Thundercat, and hip­hop genius Kendrick Lamar. While I enjoyed this album, it didn’t particularly stand out to me. save for a few songs. I would definitely recommend this album to old school hip­hop fans, and for those of you who only ride with the the ASAP mob and Drake singles, this album could be a nice introduction to the roots of Hip­Hop culture.

]]>Album Review: Public Service Broadcasting – The Race for Spacehttps://www.kstoradio.org/2015/02/23/album-review-public-service-broadcasting-the-race-for-space/
Mon, 23 Feb 2015 14:58:35 +0000https://pages.stolaf.edu/ksto/?p=1061At one point in history, all eyes were turned towards the stars. Space captivated man like no other, as humanity pushed its limits through countless trials and tribulations to lay claim to the final frontier. The Race for Space, the latest release from the British duo Public Service Broadcasting rekindles humanity’s passion to go beyond their known limits in an album that is both breathtaking conceptually, and as a storytelling device speaking to an era filled with pride and fear, hope and anxiety, and, above all, determination and perseverance.

J. Willgoose esq. and Wrigglesworth, the Londoners who make up Public Service Broadcasting, have already made a name for themselves across the pond with their unique take on sampling. The duo utilizes speech fragments and soundbites from numerous public domain sources and BBC documentaries to retell history with the aid of new age music. Their first album, Inform – Educate – Entertain took on a variety of themes ranging from the British postal service to the first expeditions to the peak of Mount Everest, using the soundbites as chilling lyrics to back their unique mix of electronic beats, electric guitars, and banjoes. What makes The Race for Space remarkable in its own right, however, is the framing of the album. Each track builds off of the last, aiding in the telling of a grander story: The Space Race between the United States and Soviet Union. A time of “great knowledge and ignorance” in the words of JFK.

Opening with a wispy, dissonant choir to back President John F. Kennedy’s famous “Address on the National Space Effort at Rice University”, the album starts with the chilling aura of JFK’s hopeful speech, asking “God’s blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked”. Any childhood dreams you had about space came rushing back in a flurry of emotion as the audience applauds setting the stage for what is to come. Following the opening track, The Race for Space moves chronologically from the launch of Sputnik 1 through the flight of Apollo 17 cluing a new generation into the gripping emotional journey that led humankind to the stars. The true genius of Willgoose and Wrigglesworth lies in their effective sampling of public domain sources and the NASA archives there were able to acquire for the album. The driving sound in “Sputnik”, for example, is not a driving guitar riff, but the faint constant beeping of the artificial satellite circling earth.

Despite, the flashier tracks like the upbeat groove single, “Gagarin” the real magic of The Race for Space lies in the duo’s effective use of dynamics, using the music they create to emotionally back the content taken from NASA and documentaries. Continuing down the path of history, Public Service Broadcasting provides a faithful tribute to the lives lost in the conquest of the stars. “Fire in the Cockpit” does this exceptionally well, utilizing the NASA communications during the Apollo 1 disaster and providing somber, reflective chord progressions that drift into a silent mourning for the astronauts lost in the accident. “The Other Side”, does this brilliantly as well, documenting the fear and trepidation of failure that encapsulates the entirety of the album’s concept. The track follows the Apollo 8 mission from the viewpoint of Mission Control in Houston; the duo’s music eliciting the hope and excitement for what is to come as the space craft attempts to orbit the moon. Yet, when contact between Apollo 8 and Houston is lost, the remaining beat of pulsing anxiety dips down into long breaks of silence broken only by the monologue of a controller attempting to hold it together. The silence is painful, powerful, and captures the spirit of the moment. It’s as if you’re right there in the Control Room biting your nails in fearful anticipation. The feeling Public Service Broadcasting emits in moments like those make their triumphant fanfares all the more powerful. Once Apollo 8’s radio communication is restored, a horn line flares up inducing moments of relief and pure elation celebrating the return of once lost heroes. This is what Public Service Broadcasting does best; re-tell and re-imagine our own history, not so much commenting on history as much as telling its story.

The Race for Space has done a remarkable job in providing a snapshot of an era and really deserves to be listened to in its entirety. Thus far, I have been continually amazed by the music Public Service Broadcasting has put out, and the duo have held true to their mantra of “Inform, Educate, Entertain”; bringing the emotional and historical perspectives of an era to a new generation through tantalizing musical storytelling.

Public Service Broadcasting may never top a billboard chart, but nonetheless, they deserve acclaim for producing emotionally captivating music that resonates with a global community celebrating our shared history as human beings.

Mitch Kampf serves as Station Manager for KSTO. He is a senior Philosophy and Political Science major. He can be reached at kampf@stolaf.edu.